Syamsul Huda M. Suhari, Gorontalo – The Gorontalo Police finally announced on Thursday that four men had been named suspects in a gang-rape case that implicates a number of policemen.
The suspects are IM, a police officer with the Paguyaman police sub-precinct in Boalemo regency, and civilians MN, NN and KK. They were detained on Wednesday evening after being questioned.
The four suspects have been charged under articles 81(1) and 82 of Law No. 23/2002 on child protection, which carry a prison term of between three and 15 years. "There is still the possibility of more suspects," Adj. Sr. Comr. Lisma Dunggio, Gorontalo Police's chief spokesman, said on Thursday.
The 16-year-old girl at the center of the case, referred to as IU, was reportedly gang raped by 13 men, comprising nine policemen, three security guards and a bank employee, on several occasions between July and October.
The provincial police force have been heavily criticized for their slow handling of the case, despite the victim's family filing a police report on Oct. 8. Some people have accused the police of protecting their own personnel.
Separately, the Witness and Victims Protection Agency (LPSK) said it was ready to help facilitate IU's physical and psychological recovery. The offer was made during a meeting with IU and her family in Gorontalo regency.
LPSK deputy chairwoman Lies Sulistiyani said that in-depth medical and psychological assessments of IU would be necessary. "We will cooperate with the relevant agencies on the matter, including the local child protection agency and women's rights groups to accompany the victim until the trial," she said, adding that the LPSK would accompany IU during questioning sessions, if necessary.
She said as the victim was an underage female, it would be better if she was accompanied by a woman. The LPSK also plans to coordinate with the Gorontalo Police so that any questioning can be carried out in a just and sensitive way.
Lies said that so far, no threats had been made against the victim, but that the LPSK was ready to provide physical protection if such a need arose.
She said the LPSK had initiated the visit to IU and her family because the victim was still a minor and the case involved police officers who had a responsibility to protect the public. "This case is shocking as well as concerning."
Initially, the LPSK team also planned to meet with a team from the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), but the latter could not make it on Thursday. The Kompolnas team confirmed, however, that it would visit IU in the near future.
During the meeting, IU's family shared what they and IU had been subjected to during police questioning. The victim's father, AU, said the police focused on the most recent rapes, which allegedly took place on Oct. 1-4, before the family reminded the police that the rapes had begun in July.
AU said the police only started to ask about the start of the case on Tuesday, the second day of IU's questioning. He added that he had requested further questioning to be held at the family's home, so that IU would feel more comfortable.
Members of the public in Gorontalo are following this case closely. Atika, a university student, said the rapists should be handed severe punishments. "If police officers become the bad guys, then who can we trust?"
Another local, Andry, said the case constituted a heinous crime, adding that the victim's future had been destroyed. "This is a warning to everyone, especially families, to really take care of their loved ones."
A sociologist from Gorontalo State University, Basri Amin, said the increase of sexual crimes in Gorontalo had been caused in part by technological changes that offered far more opportunities for strangers to meet.
"Such changes [such as the introduction of cell phones and the Internet] also allow space for discussions of subjects still considered taboo, such as sex," Basri said.